School officer is accused of harassment

He is transferred from Hudson Middle School to work in other schools. A formal complaint is expected.

Hudson Middle School's resource officer has been transferred by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office because of a mother's pending complaint that he sexually harassed her.

Cpl. Bradford Seltman, 36, will temporarily fill in as a resource officer at other schools, sheriff's officials said Wednesday.

Pennie Slater told the Times that over the past 10 months Seltman called her at home; told her eighth-grade daughter, "Your mom is so hot," and showed her daughter a magazine of people wearing skimpy outfits.

Slater, 34, met with sheriff's officials on Wednesday to file a complaint but told them she first needed to talk to her lawyer, sheriff's spokesman Jon Powers said. Powers said he expects her to file a formal complaint, which would launch an internal affairs investigation.

Slater told the Times that she will file that complaint today or early next week. She said she was told that Seltman will be investigated for harassment and conduct unbecoming of a member of the Sheriff's Office.

Through spokesman Powers, Seltman declined to comment on the pending investigation.

Slater said she started having trouble with Seltman more than nine months ago after she found a pill in her house. She called Hudson Middle, her daughter's school, because Slater wanted to know if there were drugs going around. (It turned out it was one of her ex-husband's sinus pills, she said.)

The school transferred her call to Seltman, who offered to stop by her home and test the pill, she said. While there, she said he told her that he was having marital troubles and that she was very attractive.

She said she let it go.

But later that night, she said, Seltman called her unlisted phone number. She said he told her, "It was hard for me to control myself when I was over there earlier. You're so beautiful."

She said she told him never to call again. Her ex-fiance repeated the same message, she said, in a call to Seltman a few weeks later.

The problem started up again this year, Slater said. She said she saw Seltman at the middle school open house last month. Then, she said, Seltman told her daughter that even though her mother was pregnant, she was still attractive.

In all, Slater said Seltman has talked to her daughter, Chelsea, at least four times about the mother's looks.

Slater said that earlier this month, Seltman showed Chelsea a copy of Muscle Mag. She said the magazine includes pictures of women bending over while wearing thong bathing suit bottoms.

Slater said she decided she needed to file a complaint because of "the fact that it's still going on after all these months," she said.

She said she told her daughter, "He's supposed to have good ethics. He's supposed to be an example to you guys."

-- Ryan Davis is the police reporter in Pasco County. He can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6245, or toll-free at 800-333-7505, ext. 6245. His e-mail address is rdavis@sptimes.com.